1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to surgical devices and more particularly to a surgical device for injecting cement in a bone cavity.
2. Description of the Related Art
In surgery, particularly in osteoplasty or vertebroplasty, cement delivery devices are known which are adapted to allow an operator to inject viscous cement inside the vertebral body. These devices, hereby referred to as an example, provide control over the exact deposit location and directionality of cement delivery by means of a curvable, distal delivery needle, which allows navigation within the vertebral body. As a result of the needle design, the operator at all times has control over the curvature and direction of the delivery needle, providing direct access to the entire vertebral body, which allows for patient specific customization of cement delivery during the procedure.
A main drawback of such devices stems from the necessity for the operator to rotate the needle inside the vertebral body in order to spread the cement uniformly therein. In fact, the needle is able to bend only moving inside a plane (like the movement of a finger). Therefore, to direct the injected cement in all directions the needle must be rotated.
Since the cement is supplied to the needle through a pipe connected fixedly to the same needle, usually at a right angle, the operator must change position around the patient to rotate the needle. In a surgery room, filled with machines and operating personnel, this may be unpractical, awkward or even impossible.